COMING IN THIS WEEK’S BUSINESS PRESS

MISSING LINK: Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression from 1931 to 1935, drawing more than 5,000 workers to the Nevada desert. Now, as the country faces its worst economic slump perhaps since the Depression, work near the dam is back. The Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, 1,500 feet downstream from the Hoover Dam, is the longest concrete single-arch bridge in North America.

THIS WEEK'S BUSINESS PRESS POLL QUESTION

Log onto the Las Vegas Business Press Web site and let us hear your opinion on this week's question.

Nevada's lowest-paid workers are due to get a pay increase on July 1, when the state's mandated minimum wage level is set to jump from $5.85 per hour to $6.55 for workers with company-sponsored health insurance. Minimum-wage workers without company insurance will see their hourly pay jump to $7.55 from $6.85 per hour. Although there are few workers who actually make just the minimum wage in Nevada, many employers argue the higher level forces them to raise salaries for all their lower-paid workers. Many small-business employers say the mandated pay increases will lead to even more layoffs and higher consumer costs during a recession as businesses are forced to cut their expenses or pass on rising costs to consumers.

Do you think the upcoming minimum wage increase will lead to higher unemployment rates in Nevada?

answer at www.lvbusinesspress.com/poll